TOURNAMENT RULES & REGULATIONS

Objective
EFL's primary objective is to build an integrated and cohesive society. And, to strengthen the ground work for Singapore's football through youth develpoment.

Mission Statement
Inoculate The Beautiful Game against racism, unsporting behaviour and violence.

1. League Overview

1.1. All the matches shall be played on Saturdays and Sundays between 3pm-5pm or 5pm-7pm.
* The organiser at its discretion reserves the right to change the date and time of the fixtures for the league.

Champion: One Cup + 20 award ornaments (gold)
1st Runner-Up: 20 award ornaments (silver)
2nd Runner-Up: 20 award ornaments (bronze)

2. Fees

2.1 The registration is S$100/- per team.
2.1 Each team per match is S$150/- which includes the pitch, 1 referee and 2 linesmen.
* Fees are non-refundable.

3. Venue

3.1. The tournament shall be held at fields owned by Singapore Sports Council (SSC), Privately owned fields, school fields or at any venues as may be decided by the organiser.
3.2. Equatorial Football League does not own, manage or maintain any football fields in Singapore. All fields are contracted from other party provided for EFL matches.
3.3. Contracting fields from other providers include their terms & conditions that contain cancellation costs which will be passed on to the teams should a match be cancelled half-way through the match or postponement.
3.4 The organiser at its discretion reserves the right to change the venue of the fixtures for the Tournament.

4. Match Details

4.1 For the 1st round Group Stages, the winning team in each match will be awarded 3 points, No points will be awarded to the losing team. Both teams will be awarded 1 point for a draw match.
4.2 The teams will be ranked according to their total points (applicable only for tables).
4.3 In the event where 2 or more teams have the same points, they will be decided by goal difference. The team with the highest goal difference will be ranked higher.
4.4 In the event where 2 or more teams having the same points and goal difference, their ranking will be decided by the number of goals scored for their team. The team scoring the most goals will be ranked higher.
4.5 In the event when 2 or more teams have a tie after having the same points, same goal difference and number of goals scored, they will be ranked by their results between them during the Tournament.
4.6 The referee’s decision is final. ALL teams are to respect the Referees decision. Swearing at the referees are NOT allowed, such acts will be dismissed by the referees. This rule extends to the Teams' Committee Members, substitute players and the teams own spectators who are not involved in the play. Such incident will be resulted in disciplinary action by The Organiser to deduct points or expel the team from participating in the tournament.
4.7 Teams may write in to appeal the decisions.

4.8 The duration of each match shall be played in two halves of 45 minutes or a total of 90 minutes.
4.9 The match should commence once both teams have at least 7 players. If a team is unable to field 7 players 15 minutes after the allocated kick-off time, it shall be considered a walk-over and the opposing team will be awarded a 3–0 win.
4.10 If a team decides to abandon the game for whatever reason without the approval of the opposition team, The Organiser and/ or the referee. In this case, the penalty in “Abandoning of Matches” is a minus 2 points. The opposing team shall be awarded a 3-0 win. If the result is greater than 3-0 then it will be taken into account instead.
4.11 It is the responsibility of the Team Managers to make sure that the team turns up punctually and on time for league matches at least 15 minutes before the kick-off time. If a team is not ready in full-gear on the pitch after 15 mins of the stipulated time, a 3-0 scoreline will be awarded to the opposing team and a penalty of 2 points deduction.
4.12 Due to safety reasons, protective gears are compulsory. All players must wear shin-guards for all the matches. No rings, piercing, chains, bangles, watches or spectacles are allowed. Players who do not comply will not be allowed on the field. Disciplinary action will be taken on the player/s or the team if this rule is violated. Protective goggles are allowed.
4.13 EFL and The Organiser are not liable for any loss and/or damage of teams’ equipment.
4.14 EFL and The Organiser are not liable for any injuries and loss of life.
4.15 All Teams must provide their own first-aid kit.
4.16 There is NO LIMIT to substitutions.
4.17 Unlimited rolling substitutions rules applied. Meaning, a player substituted out may be returned back on to the field.
4.18 All substitutions MUST be made from the half-way line of the field. The out-going player/s must leave the field before the oncoming player is allowed onto the field.
4.19 All substitutions can be preceded only after the referee’s acknowledgement and permission.

5. General Rules & Regulations
5.1 The league tournament shall be a men’s team event.
5.2 Each team shall consist of a minimum of 13 players, and there’s no limit to the number of players in a team.
5 .3 Participants must be at least 14 years of age or above as at 1st of Jan 2008 to participate in this league tournament.
5 .4 The Team Manager shall undertake the responsibility of ensuring the eligibility of their players competing in this tournament.
5 .5 Any team found fielding an ineligible player will be resulted in awarding the opposition a 3-0 score line and 1 point deduction. However, if the actual result is better than a 3-0 win for the opposition. The actual result from the match will stand.
5.6 All Team Managers must declare their Home and Away colours before the start of the season.
5.7 The Organiser reserves the right to repudiate the registration of any Team or player(s), at its discretion.
5.8 Team managers are required to keep the integrity of the Suspension System.

6. Postponement of Matches
6.1 In general, we DO NOT encourage teams to postpone matches, as it will cause inconvenience to the oppositions and to the Tournament’s schedule.
6.2 The Team who postponed the match will be liable to pay their opponent’s cost for that match.
6.3 A penalty of 2 points will be deducted from teams who do not turn up for matches. A 3-0 win will be awarded to the opponent.
6.4 The referee or caretaker of the fields can postpone or cancel the game at any time due to adverse weather or when the field becomes unplayable. Their decision is final, this is to prevent further damage to the field & protect the safety of the players.
6.5 If the match is stopped anytime, both teams will be re-scheduled to play again at a later date. Each team will be charged SGD $75/- only for the re-scheduled match.

7. Payment
7.1 All fees are non-refundable should a team be withdrawn, expelled or dropped out half-way during the season.
7 .2 Any outstanding amount due are to be paid on the next or following working day and within a 5 working days time frame.

8. Role & Responsibility of Team Managers
8.1. Every team must appoint two representatives, a Team Manager & an Assistant Team Manager, to communicate with The Organiser. Both representatives are required to have an e-mail account for primary communication. Mobile phones numbers must be forwarded to The Organiser via email (eugene.wee@equatorialfl.com.sg). Should both Team representatives are away from Singapore , they must inform The Organiser of an appointed representative before their departure.
8.2 Team Managers are to check the website, www.equatorialfl.com.sg, regularly and update/ inform their players of any news, announcements and information. This includes but not limited to, date, time & venue of match and colour of team jersey for the match fixture.
8.3 Team Managers are to make sure that their team turns up punctually and on time for league matches at least 15 minutes before the kick-off time.
8.4 Team Managers must take note of the suspended or banned player for their next fixture.
8.5 Team Managers are required to inform The Organiser immediately if he suspects any ineligible players fielded by the opposition teams, preferably before half-time during that particular match.
8.6 Team Managers are required to take photos of the suspected ineligible players fielded by the opposition teams using mobile phone, or preferably digital camera.
8.7 We rely on the Team Managers to uphold the integrity of the Tournament.
8.8 Team Managers are to report any bad incidents on the fields. This includes but not limited to, no shows of referees, no sportsmanship or misbehaviour and terrible field conditions.
8.9 Team Managers are to make sure their players maintain good sportsmen etiquette on and off the field.

9. Liability
9.1 All Team Managers and Players are fully aware that EFL and The Organiser do not provide insurance coverage or whatsoever covered for any players.
9.2 The Organiser, Equatorial Football League, is not responsible or liable for any injury, loss, death or other damage incurred to the team or the players.
9.3 All Team Managers and Players are fully aware that there will not be any medical staff provided at the match venue.